Us Defence Secretary

Republicans block US House effort to impeach Defense Secretary Hegseth

Republicans blocked the impeachment effort in a 211-204 vote, giving Hegseth a reprieve ahead of Democrats taking control of the House in January.

US House Republicans quash effort to impeach Defence Secretary Hegseth

The House on Tuesday turned aside a resolution to impeach Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, halting an effort to remove the Pentagon chief for his conduct in office and his handling of the war in Iran. The vote came as Republicans grapple with the fallout from sweeping midterm losses that some in the party have blamed on the war in Iran and the resulting surge in gas prices. But after President Donald Trump signalled strong support for Hegseth, GOP lawmakers largely stood by the secretary on Tuesday. They rejected the impeachment effort led by Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie and backed by Democrats. The vote may only delay an impeachment push against Hegseth, with Democrats set to take control of the House and Senate in January.

Hegseth set to face media as Republican lawmakers move to impeach him

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to give his first news conference from the Pentagon in six months on Tuesday, just a day after a Republican lawmaker launched an effort to impeach him over his handling of the unpopular war against Iran and other actions. The briefing will be Hegseth's first since May even as the US military has kept up intermittent operations against the Islamic Republic as well as fatal strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in Latin America. Hegseth, who has said the news conference would focus on the impeachment threat, is gearing up for a fight, having launched a social media blitz and saying he is ready to defend his and President Donald Trump's actions from "politically motivated people." Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who lost his primary to a Trump-backed opponent, filed the impeachment resolution in the House on Monday. It sets the stage for a dramatic vote on whether to remove a prominent Trump administration figure following sweepin

Trump backs Pete Hegseth as Republicans move to impeach defence secretary

Trump defended Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth amid an impeachment push by Republican Representative Thomas Massie over the Iran war, alleged extrajudicial killings and military strikes

Hegseth approves more armed National Guard patrols across Washington

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has signed off on the National Guard ramping up its presence in the nation's capital in military vehicles and boats as troops deepen their integration with local law enforcement. In two memos signed Oct. 29 and obtained by The Associated Press, Hegseth approved the National Guard to use 60 military police cars as well as tactical vehicles, patrol boats and portable light towers during increased patrols around Washington. Troops will also be able to carry rifles during some operations but not in Metro rail stations. The sight of vehicles that look more at home on a battlefield than a city street will harken back to when President Donald Trump first deployed the National Guard in August 2025 for what he called a crime-fighting mission. Tactical vehicles and troops carrying guns initially were seen at some Washington landmarks. National Guard members have supported law enforcement operations, patrolled neighborhoods, dispersed homeless camps and helped wit

Hegseth fires top military planner even as Trump plans fresh Iran strikes

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired the Pentagon's top military planner, a defence official said Wednesday, the latest in a series of generals to be ousted and one that comes even as President Donald Trump is weighing renewed strikes on Iran in the eight-month-long war. Army Lt Gen Brett Sylvia was removed as head of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is the second general to be ousted from the post, known in military circles as the "J5", under Hegseth. His predecessor, Lt Gen Joseph McGee, was forced to retire last October. The defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters, said there is no immediate replacement for Sylvia and no reason has been given for the firing. The move was reported earlier by The Atlantic. A spokesperson for the Joint Staff said "the Chairman, the Joint Staff, and the Joint Force extend our deepest gratitude to Lt Gen Brett Sylvia and his family for their 32 years of distinguished .

Rajnath Singh holds talks with Pete Hegseth on sidelines of Asean meet

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday held talks with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to take stock of India-US defence ties and explore ways to advance them further. The meeting took place in Cebu, Philippines, on the margins of a multilateral conclave. Singh and Hegseth are in Cebu to attend a meeting of ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) grouping. ADMM-Plus is a platform comprising 11-nation ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and its eight dialogue partners: India, China, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States. Ways to further shore up bilateral defence ties were expected to be the main focus of the Singh-Hegseth talks.

Elon Musk to help Pentagon identify weapons, tech for future wars

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk will lead the "Project Meridian" alongside Anduril co-founder Palmer Luckey and former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich

Hegseth announces new US drone command, 20% cut in top military ranks

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced some major changes to the US military on Wednesday in what he called his "State of the Force" address, including establishing a new drone command and cutting 20 per cent of the nation's generals and admirals. The Pentagon also will launch an effort to study the future of warfare that will be led in part by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Hegseth said. The Defence Department will create an Office of Religious Affairs and plans to build a new base for the first time in 40 years, he added. Hegseth made the announcements to junior officers and enlisted leaders at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia - the second year in a row that he has given such an address. But this time, the US military is seven months into a war with Iran with no clear end in sight, has captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and killed more than 200 people in strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in Latin America, among ...

US war against Iran has cost $37.5 billion, says Defence Secy Pete Hegseth

Hegseth gave the estimate in an appearance before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday that was focused on President Donald Trump's request for an additional $67 billion in defence funding

US Navy Secretary John Phelan exits abruptly in latest Pentagon shake-up

Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving his job, the Pentagon abruptly announced Wednesday, the first head of a military service to depart during President Donald Trump's second term but just the latest top defense leader to step down or be ousted. No reason was given for the unexpected departure of the Navy's top civilian official, coming as the sea service has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports and is targeting ships linked to Tehran around the world during a tenuous ceasefire in the war. Another Trump loyalist is taking over as acting head of the Navy: Undersecretary Hung Cao, a 25-year Navy combat veteran who ran unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. Senate and House in Virginia. Phelan's departure is the latest in a series of shakeups of top leadership at the Pentagon, coming just weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired the Army's top uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George. Hegseth also has fired several other top generals, admirals and defense leaders since taking office ..

Federal judge rejects Trump admin's restrictions on Pentagon reporters

The court ruled in favor of a lawsuit brought by the New York Times, which accused the administration of free speech violations

US capabilities 'overwhelming' compared to Iran's: US War Secy Pete Hegseth

The ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran entered its second week

OpenAI's Sam Altman calls Pentagon AI deal 'opportunistic and sloppy'

Rare admission from OpenAI's chief emerged days after Anthropic's main app topped Apple Inc.'s download charts, reflecting a surge of support for the company during its feud with the Pentagon

Pentagon waging war on American genius in name of 'national security'

As debate grows over Pentagon's use of artificial intelligence, concerns mount over unreliable AI systems, hallucinations, and risks of deploying autonomous weapons in high-stakes military decisions

Hegseth warns Anthropic to let military use firm's AI tech as it sees fit

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth gave Anthropic's CEO a Friday deadline to open the company's artificial intelligence technology for unrestricted military use or risk losing its government contract, according to a person familiar with their meeting Tuesday. Anthropic makes the chatbot Claude and is the last of its peers to not supply its technology to a new US military internal network. CEO Dario Amodei repeatedly has made clear his ethical concerns about unchecked government use of AI, including the dangers of fully autonomous armed drones and of AI-assisted mass surveillance that could track dissent. Defence officials warned they could designate Anthropic a supply chain risk or use the Defence Production Act to essentially give the military more authority to use its products even if it doesn't approve of how they are used, according to the person familiar with the meeting and a senior Pentagon official, who both were not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on condition of ...

Trump admin's defence strategy softens tone on China, focuses on deterrence

The department's long-awaited National Defence Strategy, released Friday evening, directs the Defence Department to 'maintain a favourable balance of military power in the Indo-Pacific'

US Senate passes $901 bn defence bill, seeks clarity on drug boat strikes

The Senate gave final passage to an annual military policy bill Wednesday that will authorize $901 billion in defense programs while pressuring Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide lawmakers with video of strikes on alleged drug boats in international water near Venezuela. The annual National Defense Authorization Act, which raises troop pay by 3.8%, gained bipartisan backing as it moved through Congress, and the White House has indicated that it is in line with President Donald Trump's national security priorities. However, the legislation, which ran over 3,000 pages, revealed some points of friction between Congress and the Pentagon as the Trump administration reorients its focus away from security in Europe and towards Central and South America. The bill pushes back on recent moves by the Pentagon. It demands more information on boat strikes in the Caribbean, requires that the U.S. keep its troop levels in Europe at current levels and sends some military aid to Ukraine. But

US Navy admiral denies 'kill all' order amid probe on Venezuela boat strike

A Navy admiral told lawmakers Thursday that there was no kill them all order from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth as Congress scrutinises an attack that killed two survivors of an initial strike on an alleged drug boat in international waters near Venezuela. Adm Frank Mitch Bradley "was very clear that he was given no such order, to give no quarter or to kill them all. He was given an order that, of course, was written down in great detail, said Sen Tom Cotton, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, as he exited a classified briefing. Cotton defended the attack, but a Democrat who also was briefed said that while there was no kill them all order from Hegseth, he was still deeply concerned by video of the second strike. What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service, Connecticut Rep Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters. You have two individuals in clear distress without any means of .

Hegseth's use of Signal posed risk to US personnel, finds Pentagon watchdog

The Pentagon's watchdog found that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth put US personnel and their mission at risk when he used the Signal messaging app to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Houthi militants in Yemen, two people familiar with the findings said Wednesday. Hegseth, however, has the ability to declassify material and the report did not find he did so improperly, according to one of the people familiar with the report's findings who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the information. CNN first reported the initial findings. The review by the Pentagon inspector general's office was delivered to lawmakers, who were able to review the report in a classified facility at the Capitol. A partially redacted version of the report was expected to be released publicly later this week. The findings ramp up the pressure on the former Fox News Channel host after lawmakers had called for the independent inquiry into his use of the commercially available app